


No Place Too Far

by Brumeier



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Established Relationship, Explosions, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Rescue Missions, Wraith
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-15
Updated: 2015-01-15
Packaged: 2018-03-07 16:55:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3177373
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brumeier/pseuds/Brumeier
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Rodney plans a rescue-mission he doesn't screw around. The Wraith are going to be sorry they messed with John!</p>
            </blockquote>





	No Place Too Far

**Author's Note:**

  * For [darkmoore](https://archiveofourown.org/users/darkmoore/gifts).



> For Darkmoore on [More Joy Day](http://sdwolfpup.livejournal.com/674893.html).

Rodney triple-checked his calculations. He knew they were right but he couldn’t help being cautious. There was too much at stake for him to be off even a little bit. Radek was working side-by-side with him because there was no-one Rodney trusted more. They never talked about it, but then there’d never really been a need. When you could have a whole conversation made up of sentence fragments there was a deeper level of understanding at play.

“We’re good,” Radek said. His eyes never left his monitor, his fingers flying over the keyboard in front of him.

“I know we are.” Rodney tapped his earpiece. “Colonel. We’re all set here. Sending the coordinates.”

_Roger that, Doc._

Rodney took a deep breath, exchanged a look with Radek, and hit the enter key. All the data was sent to the nav computer in Lorne’s ‘jumper. There was no time to sit back and relax. The Marines – and Ronon, who had refused to wait behind – had their job to do, and Rodney wasn’t finished with his.

“Ready to arm some bombs?”

“I thought you’d never ask,” Radek replied wryly. He took his glasses off and gave them a hasty cleaning on his shirt.

“Come on. We don’t have much time.”

“Tell me something I do not know.”

“When I was five I briefly considered a career in the circus. Let’s go.” Rodney led the way into the temporary hangar that housed four Naquadah warheads, ready to get the next part of the plan underway.

*o*o*o*

_We have him! Go, go, go!_

“Initializing split beam…now!” If Rodney had been a superstitious man he’d have crossed his fingers. Instead he stared at the monitor, watching as his four packages were delivered. A small part of him was overwhelmingly pleased that it had worked, something not even the Asgard had been able to do, but there’d be time enough for self-congratulations later.

“You are clear? Colonel?” Radek waited, fingers hovering over the keyboard. “Colonel Lorne, are you clear?”

Rodney could feel his entire body tensing up. What if the Wraith had stopped them? What if they –

_We’re clear! I repeat, we’re clear! Initiate detonation._

Rodney and Radek each had codes for two of the bombs. The information was entered at lightning speed and then they hit the command keys almost simultaneously. The four Hive ships that had been in low orbit around P45-332 burst into blinding white balls of light as they exploded. Four Queens and their minions, vaporized.

“And that’s what happens when you fuck with Atlantis,” Rodney muttered. He hoped Todd was on one of those Hives. He hoped that asshole was out of their lives forever.

_Incoming. Is Dr. Beckett standing by?_

“He’s ready. We’ll meet you at the landing site.” He purposefully didn’t ask about Sheppard, too afraid that the news would be bad. He’d been with the Wraith for upwards of two weeks and there was every chance that Rodney’s best friend was little more than a desiccated mummy.

“Go,” Radek said. “I will finish up here.”

Rodney nodded. He left the makeshift lab that had been set up on the smallest moon orbiting P45-332, and made his way to the landing site. He met up with Carson and the medical team en route, and everyone looked grim; no-one was expecting Sheppard to come back in one piece.

*o*o*o*

The medic tent had several beds set up, just in case, but only one was filled. Rodney stood beside the occupied bed, arms crossed and a scowl on his face.

“You do nothing but cause me trouble.”

Sheppard just grinned up at him, completely unrepentant. He was in remarkably good shape for someone who’d barely been fed while he was held captive: some pretty awful looking bruises, one broken finger, and a gash along his cheekbone. Todd was a douchebag, but he’d made sure Sheppard didn’t serve as a living buffet for the other Wraith.

“Do you have any idea what I had to do? I made advances in beaming tech that’s going to have Carter swallowing her tongue. I’m a goddamn genius.” The boasting was all for show. Rodney was relieved to have Sheppard back, and in such good shape, and he didn’t want to let him know how scared he’d been.

“My hero.” Sheppard couldn’t seem to stop grinning, though it sat oddly on his gaunt, unshaven face. “You blew them all up.”

“It was a unique opportunity, which I suppose I should thank you for.” Rodney reached out, hesitantly, and took hold of Sheppard’s hand. The one that didn’t have an IV attached to it.

“Glad I was around to see it.”

“Yeah. Me too.” Rodney had to close his eyes, just for a second, and take a steadying breath. He’d been running non-stop since Todd had hijacked Sheppard to use as leverage at the summit of Queens, refusing to give in to the belief that he might be chasing a dead man. Still, some little part of him had been sure he’d be too late. Especially when Sheppard didn’t miraculously save himself this time.

“Hey. Buddy. It’s okay.” Sheppard twined his fingers around Rodney’s and held on tight. “You know, you really are a genius. How’d you find me?”

Rodney nodded and opened his eyes once he was sure he wouldn’t embarrass himself. “I’ll always find you. No matter where you are.”

_No-one left behind_. It was Sheppard’s thing but somewhere along the line it had become Rodney’s too. He’d do it for Radek, for Carson, but especially for his team. His family. 

Sheppard’s grin faltered, and he let some of what he was feeling show in his eyes. Rodney’s chest constricted to see it, to see the gratitude and the affection and the fear of what he might’ve lost. It was something Rodney could identify with.

“Don’t do that again,” he whispered.

Sheppard just nodded, and held tighter to Rodney’s hand. Rodney wanted nothing more than to crawl into that narrow bed and wrap himself around Sheppard, hold him close and never let him go. But there was a time and place for that, and it wasn’t in this medic tent on a barren rock far from home.

“Thanks,” Sheppard said. His eyes were starting to droop and Rodney knew he’d be asleep soon. 

“Yes, well, I just needed the extra motivation to devise a better bomb delivery system. Can’t have you riding them in like Slim Pickens all the time.” The joke was wasted on Sheppard, who’d fallen asleep while Rodney was talking. 

Rodney leaned over and pressed a kiss to Sheppard’s forehead. “I’ll be here when you wake up, you big jerk.” Radek and the Marines could pack up base camp for the trip back to Atlantis. Rodney would be staying with Sheppard, keeping watch. Holding on.

**Author's Note:**

>  **AN:** Darkmoore, if anyone needs some joy it’s you! And since I can’t blow up the stupid company you have to work for, I had Rodney blow up some Wraith instead. Not as satisfying, perhaps, but who doesn’t love a good explosion? ::grins:: Hope this brings a little happy to your day today!


End file.
